I love slightly unusual cakes – my pistachio and walnut crumbly cake and gingerbread cake with blood orange syrup are two examples of my leaning towards not-too-sweet, spiced, no-icing cakes that are better suited to grown-ups than the under eights in your household. And this cake is another in that category. There is texture from…
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Sam Baldwin: What is “tiramisu”? Jay: You’ll find out. Sam Baldwin: Well, what is it? Jay: You’ll see! Sam Baldwin: Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I’m not gonna know what it is!Jay: You’ll love it! Sleepless in Seattle Far from being the traditional Italian dessert you assume it…
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Stephen Harris, food writer for the London Telegraph, and owner and chef at The Sportsman, an award winning pub-turned-restaurant in Kent, wrote a wonderful article about the origins of tarte Tatin. In the article he says that. “the first time I came across this dish it was given its full name: tarte renversée des demoiselles…
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I am something of a pannacotta afficionado, and often choose it for dessert when I eat at Italian restaurants. It is quite simple to make, but it takes a delicate touch to get the gelatine to liquid ratio just right, so that the pannacotta is set but quite wobbly when turned out from its mould,…
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When I was a teenager I had a disastrous first experience making doughnuts. The dough was gluey, the oil not hot enough, and the result so hideous they were inedible. It was years before I had the courage to try deep frying again, and only recently that I started experimenting with doughnuts. This recipe is…
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A great fig should look like it’s just about to burst its skin. When squeezed lightly it should give a little and not spring back. It must be almost unctuously sweet, soft and wet. Yotam Ottolenghi I was rewarded for a chilly early morning visit to the markets this weekend with a bounty of fresh…
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There are many appalling things that were done with and to food in the 1970s – for a comprehensive overview I recommend following the 70s Dinner Party on Twitter, but for a sampling consider salad in aspic and grapefruit prawn cocktail as two examples that had plenty of traction in the era of tight, tight…
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I first had a ‘crumbly’ cake at an afternoon tea hosted by a friend whose brother lived in Norway, and she made a traditional Scandinavian cake that was not too sweet and had a unique slightly crumbly texture. I loved it and have been trying for some time to create my own version from that…
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“Reader, I married him.” Jane Eyre My husband and I are soon to mark 25 years of marriage and one of the things I appreciate most about him is his unfailing support of my dreams and goals. He photographs most of the recipes for this blog in his spare time, and helps bring to life…
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I don’t drown my sorrows..I suffocate them with cupcakes. Anon. Everyone needs a no-fail, go-to, whip-it-up-in-a-flash cupcake recipe, and this is mine. It works every time and is soft and moist and delicious. The lime gives a refreshing tang to counter the sweetness of the cake and icing, and the almond meal has a nice…
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Simple food 